Lengthy Road Trip Will Provide Rebels with Opportunity to Further Bond
November 2, 2021 - Western Hockey League (WHL)
Red Deer Rebels News Release
Red Deer Rebels centre Liam Keeler
(Red Deer Rebels, Credit: Rob Wallator)
The Red Deer Rebels are already a tight group, but there's always room for a bit more team bonding.
The Rebels will get that opportunity this week and beyond as they venture out on a six-game, nine-day Western Hockey League road trip starting Thursday in Winnipeg.
"For me, being an older guy in the league you really start to appreciate big moments like this," 20-year-old forward Liam Keeler said Tuesday, prior to the Rebels' departure time of 8:30 p.m.
"You never really know how many long road trips you're going to get with your teammates, so when you have them you have to enjoy them and have a lot of fun with them.
"Obviously we're going out there for business, we want to win games and we know we're capable of winning games on this trip. But it's also big in bringing the guys together and closer than we've been. I know we're going to have a lot of fun and a lot of work too."
Keeler is a member of a first-place team for a fourth consecutive year after finishing atop the Central Division three straight seasons with the Edmonton Oil Kings.
Now, as a key player with the Rebels, who acquired him way back in May, he's again basking in the glow of being first in the division.
"I've been fortunate to be on really good teams in the past and coming here I just wanted to try and bring some of that winning experience and all the knowledge that I've gained throughout the years," said the Edmonton native, who's enjoying a solid season with five goals and nine points in 13 games.
"To see these guys playing as hard as they are and for me to be a big part of it . . . it means a lot. Winning is always fun, it's always fun to win. It makes coming to the rink a lot easier and just everything a lot easier.
"Road trips are easier when you're winning and I think for us we just want to keep building and getting better."
The Rebels occupy top spot in the Central with an 8-4-1-0 record, one point up on the Oil Kings. That's a far cry from the pandemic shortened 2020-21 season in which Red Deer won just four of 23 games.
Of course, the off-season additions of goaltender Connor Ungar and forwards Keeler, Kai Uchacz and Blake Stevenson - plus the return of defenceman Christoffer Sedoff - have been huge.
But Keeler also sees the Rebels as a team that has built character by suffering through adversity.
"For me, tough times bring teams together," he said. "I think back to when I was 16, our team really struggled. We didn't have a lot of success but it felt like we always had a really close group.
"When I turned 17, in my second year in the league, we went to the third round of playoffs. For these guys, just living at the rink last year, not having a lot of success with injuries and all of that . . . just seeing how bad they want to win for each other, I think that's something that has really helped this team, along with bringing in new guys with maybe just a different voice and experience."
The six-foot-two, 185-pound winger also credits the coaching staff of holdover assistants Ryan Colville and Eric Lodge, new assistant Mike Egener and newly hired head man Steve Konowalchuk for the Rebels' strong start.
"You look at our coaching staff, they've been great to us," said Keeler. "Bringing in Steve and Eggy has been huge for our group. I think just the continued work ethic and the continued brotherhood that we have in that locker room is bringing us a lot of success."
The Rebels will play in Brandon Friday before returning to Winnipeg for a Sunday contest. From there, Red Deer will be in Moose Jaw Tuesday, at Regina the following day and Nov. 12 in Prince Albert.
Red Deer's next home game is Nov. 19 against the Calgary Hitmen.
Images from this story
 Red Deer Rebels centre Liam Keeler (Rob Wallator) |
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